Toyota Camry Hybrid

One of the greatest untold USPs of hybrid cars is the sheer level of refinement they bring to the table, and nothing is better proof of this than Toyota’s flagship saloon car.

- Aninda Sardar

THE DANGER OF WATCHING that particularly famous British trio who do much-watched car shows is that sometimes you end up thinking like them. Confession time, you reckon? You bet. For years and years I rubbished hybrids. If it wasn’t a V8 lump or at least a turbocharged V6, sorry, your hyper efficient pride and joy had no place on my wall full of posters. And then I was reformed, with the same kind of logic that must have appealed to a lot of people around the world, for, I was told at the time of my reformation, that there were close to 10 million sane, thinking adults who had chosen hybrid cars over all other types. That was two years ago, and that was the figure for just the Toyota Camry Hybrid. Now, with Toyota having launched the next-gen Camry Hybrid in India, it is time once again to explore that old logic and see if it still holds good.

The logic in question of course has environmental implications but not the kind you think. I’m not talking about things at a global level, because, I’ll have to admit I don’t pay much attention to the ice caps unless they happen to be in my tumbler of single malt. I’m referring to the immediate environment you’re in, which in this case, is the cabin of the Toyota Camry Hybrid. And the moment you step in and start going, you realise that one of the greatest unsold USPs of a petrol-electric hybrid powertrain is its ability to deliver unmatched levels of refinement and sophistication. As a result, adding an extraordinary level of luxuriousness to motoring in what is otherwise an ordinary saloon car.

It’s all about subtle power